Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1925. BOROUGH RIDDLES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1925, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1925. BOROUGH RIDDLES.

Those townsmen fond of solving eonundrums, and perhaps! tiring of erossword puzzles, might turn their special enthusiasm to borough affairs, there being scope for the exercise of their peculiar gifts. For instance. Avhy Blaketown shoidd not be given its promised gas supply is a riddle that the long suffering residents in that part of the borough cannot answer. Can the Councillors? Or anybody else? There seems to be an injustice when a district outside the borough area can be supplied with gas from the borough works, rvliercas Blaketown is denied the The Council Avfll soon be faced with serious competition from the Power Board, and ordinary business acumen should prompt the ■municipal authorities to chase new business. They are. taking steps to popularise the use of gas, first;by reducing the price (for long—and still —100 high) by extending the showroom for demonstrations and display, and by a small amount of advertising. Yet Blaketown, which is eager to use gas, is denied the

opportunity. Many a lime and oft has the Council been asked to meet Blaketown’s . legitimate request, and promises have been made that gas supplies would be available, but years pass, and still this part of the borough is left dark and desolate. Those housewives who reside in the other areas of Greymouth can imagine the inconvenience caused to Blaketown women, who have to struggle in 1925 with lighting and cooking equipment more in keeping with the gold-rush days. Those who complain—not without reason —that Greymouth streets are poorly lighted, should visit Blaketown after sunset, and realise how much worse off is the beach-suburb. There ihay be some reason for the Council’s refusal to give Blaketown its due, but to most people, it remains an unsolved conundrum. Part of the large—too large—profits obtained by the Council ‘from the gas works for many years, should have been utilised for the benefit of Blaketown residents, who have to pay rates and share in.the financial burdens of the borough. The neglect of Blaketown has long been a reproach to local municipal administration, and more justice and consideration for its residents should be an immediate aim of the Borough Council. Another Greymouth riddle is the whereabouts of the pound. The site is generally believed to be somewhere near Boundary Street, but any arrangements for the adequate detention of animals caught using the “long paddock” arc not so conspicuous

as to be noticed by the average passer-by. Straying stock form one of the pests of the borough, and there is scarcely a. householder who has not had cause fur illdignation through damage caused to gardens by wandering horses and cows. Borough officials are criticised for not utilising day and night in efforts to capture these nuisances, but even if it were possible for the ranger to be in all' parts of the borough at oiibe and, at all hours, it is a conundrum ‘as to what he would do witli Ilia “bag,” until such time as' the owners called to claim their, property. The very commendable efforts of residents in High and Shakespeare streets and other thoroughfares to. beautify the surroundings by tending to the street grass plots m front of their houses, will be nullified if straying stock are permitted to enjoy their freedom 'of the borough, as the work of weeks can soon be ruined by one of these nocturnal wanderers. There arc other borough riddles awaiting solution, but, the two outlined above will suffice meanwhile, unless anybody is anxious to solve the mystery of the whereabouts of the Greymouth and Blaketown Ratepayers ’ Associations.